Phase 2 begins: First trip starts in 4 days!

The CBT Vietnam slogan for this month is: "if you're not running, something is wrong!" We're joking, of course! But seriously, Phase 2 of the PATA Foundation funded project in Northern Viet Nam is underway and it is going to be a busy one!

Returning to Vietnam will be Dr. Chris Bottrill, Dean of Global and Community Studies at Capilano University, Instructor Stephanie Wells, and students Jase Wilson and Taryn Bodrug. Once again we will be joined by Ms. Ngoc Anh (Vice Dean of the tourism faculty at Hanoi Open University - HOU) as well as a team of HOU student volunteers.

It is going to be an exiting, ground-breaking trip for our learners and community leaders in Ta Phin. We will be working on the following:

• facilitation of a business trip for 12 entrepreneurs to the big city of Hanoi;
• here our entrepreneurs will meet with private tourism companies to begin:
• partnerships will be created;
• and, negotiations will ensue.

Tourists to the region would usually book a hill tribe trekking tour that lands them in Sa Pa -visiting villages such as Ta Phin and Lao Chai for merely an hour or two. The home-stay operators from Ta Phin are collectively working towards creating packaged experiences where tour guides bring visitors directly to Ta Phin home-stays. This will be a fantastic development for our home-stay owners and the village of Ta Phin. 

In the village of Lao Chai, the CBT team will continue delivering training on entry level skills. Our goal is to help residents of Lao Chai to increase their capacity to pursue their own brand of successful community based tourism. This is not cut paste here - what works in Ta Phin can serve as a model for success but every case is different. The CBT team will sample what Lao Chai has to offer and connect with local stakeholders.

Our whirl wind two week schedule will start on Thursday September 27th and end October the 9th, 2012. Readers will not want to miss out on what is happening! Over the next few weeks we will be releasing new media and performing regular trip updates. 

So get onto twitter @CBTvietnam and facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cbtvietnam, let us know what you think! We want to hear your voice!

First Impressions. Return Trip to Sapa; Taphin

Still as busy as ever, Sapa remains an attractive destination for international and, more so, Vietnam's domestic market. The colourful Sapa markets were packed with tourists and the usual local street sellers.

In Taphin village, a story of mixed opinions has evolved since the last time Capilano University was there (3 years ago). Slightly increasing were the numbers of overnight stays. Complementary to that was a sustainable increase in the number of homestays and guest houses.

However, according to the companies that were running day-trips to village, a plan to cut back the number of trips was in effect. The reason: the high number of street-sellers combined with visitor dissatisfaction as a result of 'impolite' locals and arguments between the street-sellers themselves and the tourists.

Sapa

A colourful mosaic of culture, ethnic markets, and inspiring landscapes, Sapa has attracted visitors for almost one hundred years. Located in the northern province of Lao Cai, the area was first developed as a mountain retreat for the French colonists.

"visitors are welcomed by an unavoidable friendliness."

Sapa has become a favorite destination on Vietnam’s tourist list. Beyond the tourist centre lies a network of ethnic villages, home to the Black H’mong, Red Dao, Day, and Tay. Connected by a web of trekking possibilities, visitors are welcomed by cooler temperatures and an unavoidable friendliness.

Tourism has played a contentious role in the growth of Sapa throughout its history. As in most tourist destinations, both negative and positive impacts are evident. As tourism continues to develop, safeguards and proper training will be crucial in the sustainability of both the ecology of Sapa and the integrity of its communities.